Gospel Math

One of the most difficult things to learn is Christian mathematics. The ideas of three persons in one God, hundredfold interest on giving, seventy times seven forgiveness are math concepts unique to the Bible. One lesson that we have to learn early in our Christian walk is the idea of addition, who is added to whom.

As new babes in Christ, we often think that we have to add the Lord to our lives, add the church to our schedules, add service to our habits. It usually takes a while to understand that we are the ones who are added to the body of Christ through baptism by Jesus Himself (Acts 2:47). And as far as our schedules are concerned, we don't add church and service to our routines – they become our routines! Before we existed to serve, exploit, and dominate our world, now as Christian the world is simply the backdrop against which we experience, seek and serve the Kingdom of God.

The problem with the faulty math of simply adding Christ and His church to our lives is that we get the wrong answer. This particular sequence adds up to dissatisfaction, the feeling that Christianity just doesn't add up. When we put the elements in sequence, however, (Christ adds us to His church which becomes our life) we finally experience the sum of Christian living described by Paul as faith, hope, and love (I Corinthians 13:13).

If our totals have been wrong lately, maybe we need to check our math. Gospel math requires us to subtract sin, be added to the church, divide our wealth among those in need and multiply our blessings to the infinite power in Christ Jesus.